Tag Archives | Nuclear deal

26th April 2017 “Victory for justice and the rule of law and the people of South Africa”, is how Makoma Lekalakala of Earthlife Africa Johannesburg (ELA-JHB) summed up the court judgement. After over a year and a half of court preparation for justice, ELA-JHB and the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (SAFCEI) were finally […]

The Cabinet reshuffle announced by President Zuma last week saw both the Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan – who has been adamant that the country would not finance nuclear if it was unaffordable – and his deputy being replaced with Malusi Gigaba and Sifiso Buthelezi, respectively. The Minister of Energy has also been replaced, as well […]

NEWS RELEASE 31 MARCH 2017 D-DAY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE GOVERNMENT’S PROPOSED ELECTRICITY PLAN AMIDST CABINET RESHUFFLE CHAOS The Cabinet reshuffle announced by President Zuma last night saw both the Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan – who has been adamant that the country would not finance nuclear if it was unaffordable – and his deputy […]

NEWS RELEASE 22 FEBRUARY 2017 This morning, 22 February 2017, as the rest of the country waits with baited breath for Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan to present his budget speech, Earthlife-Africa Johannesburg (ELA-JHB) and the Southern African Faith Communities Environmental Institute (SAFCEI), along with hundreds of ‘anti-nuclear deal’ supporters (young and old alike) will march from […]

The Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, the Most Revd Thabo Makgoba, has appealed to the South African government to scrap plans for developing nuclear energy and instead to spend the money on education, training and other development initiatives. The archbishop said in a statement issued from the church’s Synod of Bishops today: “The Synod of […]

Dear Friends, In December 2016, Earthlife Africa Jhb (ELA) and the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (SAFCEI) took government to court to overturn the secret nuclear deal – a deal which threatens to bankrupt our country, leaving nothing for social (or any other) development for the foreseeable future. The case was postponed and the next court hearing […]

The South African government’s nuclear ambitions are controversial. But are they likely to provide the country with the “cheapest source of electricity”, as claimed by the national power utility’s CEO? Researched by Vinayak Bhardwaj* The South African government’s nuclear ambitions have been dogged by controversy with questions about the secrecy surrounding procurement discussions and the […]

Paul Burkhardt & Mike Cohen* Opposition from state power utility Eskom and government infighting threaten to sabotage the world’s fastest-growing green energy programme. Eskom is stalling on signing government-brokered deals to buy renewable energy from private producers, encouraged to develop capacity after outages over the past eight years. With the economy in the doldrums, the […]

In a surprise move late last year, the Minister of Energy’s legal team, revealed the decision to give the procurement of the nuclear new build to Eskom. They chose to reveal this only at the nuclear energy court hearing on December 13th 2016, preventing the court from reviewing the case. Today, two NGOs who are taking […]

On the 29th and 30th November, SAFCEI, together with Earthlife Africa and the Heinrich Boell Foundation held a People’s Hearing where affected communities and civil society could make their voice heard. Together a People’s Statement was written which civil society handed over to Parliament, outlining the many concerns with the nuclear deal. People’s Statement […]